


no good at lip service except when they're yours

by brandywine421



Category: Daredevil (TV), The Punisher (TV 2017)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Domestic Fluff, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-05-22
Updated: 2019-06-30
Packaged: 2020-03-09 11:31:17
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 2,784
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18916096
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/brandywine421/pseuds/brandywine421
Summary: "You sure, Frankie?" Curtis asked, shifting the car into park outside of the dim apartment building."Yeah."He didn't get out immediately, if Matt was home he'd have heard him already.God, he missed the fuck out of him.*Frank gets a discharge and a ride home.





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> For the 'soulmates' square on my Marvel bingo card.

_Too many war wounds and not enough wars_  
_Too few rounds in the ring and not enough settled scores_  
_Too many sharks, not enough blood in the waves_  
_You know I give my love a four letter name_

 

 

 

"You sure this is the right place, Frankie?" Curtis asked, shifting the car into park outside of the dim apartment building in the core of Hell's Kitchen.

"Yeah."

He didn't get out immediately, if Matt's home he'd have heard him already. Sure enough, Matt's form appeared on the sidewalk, dark glasses - and bruises - and no tapping stick.

God, he missed the fuck out of him.

He opened the door and put his boots down and Matt was there - his hand grasping his arm. "Did you forget how phones work?"  Frank wound his arms around him and pulled him close.

It didn't matter where he was, the desert or the plane or the subway or the car - he was only home when he had Matty close enough to hold.

"We don't say the four letter acronym without warning - he's had that shit since he was 12," Matt was saying to Curt over his shoulder. "I can get him inside and we have a parking space - I'm told it's got a big skull painted on it."

Frank huffed and loosened his grip. "Maria's kids do that?"

"I saw nothing," Matt smiled, pulling him close for a kiss - a hint of whiskey and blood behind the gums - fucking Matt. "Welcome home. You smell like shit."

"You smell like whiskey."

"Been drinking since midnight, got a friend on the couch but that's what you get for not calling ahead," Matt said between Frank's more pointed kisses. "You mind coming up for a minute? I'd love to get your number to make sure he invites you to the real welcome home party. He'll be fine once he gets a bath and remembers that he has a dog."

"Wait, my dog's here? You hate my dog," Frank refocused.

"See? Married ten years and he still puts that mutt first," Matt laughed. "Come on."

 

* * *

 

Jessica Jones greeted him without moving from the couch even when Maxie scrambled across her whole body and jostled the bottle loosely raised in her hand.

God, he missed her - Maxie, not necessarily Jones, but she was one of Matt's closest friends so he was used to her being in the periphery.

"Good girl, good girl," Frank repeated, scrubbing his hands down her overexcited whole-body wag of greeting.

"Maxie stays with Frank's sister but she's upstate for the weekend. Frank, are you - come on," Matt cut himself off, squeezing Frank's wrist and urging him into the bedroom. "Hey. Sit-rep."

He cupped Matt's scruffy chin and tried to believe that this was real life. "Full discharge."

"Heard that before, give me something else," Matt rumbled against his fingers, letting Frank take his time.

"Might get rough," Frank admitted. "Last couple of missions - "

Matt kissed him, one of those long ones that made him forget why breathing mattered. "We'll get through it. I wouldn't have put that ring on your finger if I wasn't prepared to ride it out."

"Hey, I think I put that ring on your finger - are you switching up the story?"

He laughed. "All your stuff's where you left it - "

"Maxie can stay, right?" Frank didn't want to have to go to his sister's to see his dog.

"You're telling the kids and doing the maintenance - "

Frank knew that and from the tilt of Matt's lips, he knew he was being played. "How drunk are you?"

"Drunk enough to not be angry that you didn't call ahead," Matt said. "I'd offer you a drink if I didn't think you'd pass out before we have time to talk. We have guests."

Jessica rapped her knuckles on the half-open door. "Not for long, your hot friend is going to drop me off. You good to go, Murdock?"

Frank poked the bruise on his cheek but Matt didn't flinch, biting at his finger instead before he answered. "All good, Jess. Thanks. I'll call you tomorrow if you don't call me first."

"Good to have you back, Frankie," Jessica winked. "Try and get some rest between all the sex."

"I didn't miss your friends," Frank told Matt, flipping her off.

"You need a shower," Matt mumbled, laughing into his shoulder.

"Nah, I need a bath. You're having one with me," Frank said.

Maxie barked for attention.

"After I lock up and feed your dog, I guess," Matt agreed. "Start the hot water?"

 

* * *

 

Alone with Matt was better - he actually felt like he was standing on solid ground and not shifting desert sand. Alone with Matt - this worked for them.

Matt took his time, reading his body with soapy fingertips to map new scars and muscles, tasting a few and spitting out bubbles when he realized his error.

Fuck, Frank loved this dumb asshole. He'd loved this asshole since they brawled for the first time in the ninth grade welcome assembly. The marriage had initially been a 'fuck you' to Frank's homophobic uncle and a 'fuck you' to Matty's stuck-up estate lawyer - but it fucking worked. Matt could break through Frank's sporadic but violent flashbacks to his parents' murders and Frank could center Matt when the senses he depended on to 'see' turned against him in paralyzing overstimulus.

They were each other's tether and ten years later, they hadn't hung each yet.  Ten years wasn't long enough.  It would never be long enough.

Matt wouldn't let him go under. Matt couldn't see the blood on his hands or hear the sins in his heartbeat. Frank couldn't keep the asshole from running around punching bad guys with Jess and his buddies so Matt never asked Frank to quit the Marines.

"Do you need to talk about it?" Matt asked.

"Not yet. I'll let you know."

"Please."

"Are you going to be able to take some time off from those black eyes?" Frank asked impulsively. He didn't want to share Matt with Hell's Kitchen quite yet.

"Unless - "

Frank flicked water at him. "Unless you hear somebody that needs you, right?  Well guess what?  I need you."

"Then you already know where I'll be," Matt flicked water back at him.

 


	2. Chapter 2

  
_"Maria. Maria. Maria."_

Frank sat up, the heavy and warm blanket of sleep falling into the familiar panic - where was he - where was his gun - his men - his comm -

Matt's hand swiped a phone off the nightstand. "Fucking _what_?"

He'd just caught his breath as he remembered - home - he was home - when Matt seemed to process that he wasn't alone in the bed and almost nailed him with a left hook to the face that cracked the wood bed frame - and maybe a knuckle or two.

"Shit, Frankie, I'm so sorry," Matt gasped, dropping the phone. His sister's shriek was muffled in the sheets and Frank - fucking hell - this was his life.

He trapped Matt in a hug and laughed into his neck. "I forgot where I was, too, fucker - "

"Shit," Matt mumbled. "Scared the hell outta me."

Frank found the phone while Matt shook out his hand. "Hey, Sis."

Maria inhaled sharply in his ear. "How long have you - "

"Got in last night, late."

"How long are - "

"Discharged. Stuck this time," Frank said, enjoying the view of Matt's slow limp, not from an injury but from a good time, to the bathroom. "Was going to call you today."

"Your husband's on my shit list," she said.

"Why?"

"You see his face?" Maria snapped. "Hang on. _KIDS, GET YOUR SHIT - WE'RE LEAVING!_   Frank, you still there?"

"Yeah," he asked, frowning. He could still see Matt, leaning with both hands on the sink. He wasn't using the mirror but the mirror gave Frank full view of his face. The black eye was nastier today, spreading past his cheek to his ear - "Wait, how do you know about his face?"

"Daredevil got his ass handed to him last night - but you know he doesn't tap out. He needs to fucking tap out, Frank."

"It's none of her fucking business and it's resolved," Matt said from the bathroom. He hadn't moved, still stood with his hands on the porcelain grinding his jaw.

"He says it's resolved," Frank told Maria. Why the fuck was his sister -

"Really?" she whispered.

"What do you know about it?" Frank demanded. "Why the hell are you mixed up in Matt's bullshit?"

"She's not," Matt flinched.

"Sure sounds like it to me," Frank said, lowering the phone. Matt was supposed to be looking after his family not getting them involved in his vigilante bullshit. "What have you done?"

Matt opened his mouth, nostrils flared to fire back a defense but stopped with a short shake of his head. He turned instead and closed the door leaving Frank's anger to brew.

"He made the news every night this week, he never tells me anything - even when I threaten him with the air horn, nada, won't talk about it - but they nailed him with a brick on camera and he went down hard - " Maria's voice trickled through his brain-noise when he raised the phone again. "How's he supposed to convince people he's not Daredevil when he has the same brick-mark on his face? He's supposed to give a talk at Lisa's school on Tuesday - "

"Maria."

She sighed heavily. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't dump any of this on you - you just got home, shit. I was worried about the fucker. How are you back and why didn't you call?"

"Went out with a bang," Frank muttered. "Not ready to talk about it."

"Maybe Matt's letting you get away with that but I'm not. We'll be home in a few hours, will you come over?"

"Need to pick up Max's stuff anyway. I'll try to be steady enough to go out," Frank said.

Matt stepped out of the bathroom in an oversized hoodie that Frank knew wasn't his - he hadn't unpacked his duffle yet. "I'll be back in about half an hour with breakfast, can you walk the dog or should I take her?"

"I can - "

"Thanks, I'll be back before you know I'm gone," Matt said, kissing his cheek instead of his mouth and darting from the room in sneakers he didn't recognize either.

 

* * *

 

He forgot, sometimes, often probably, that Matt had a whole life apart from him. 10 years was a long time to stay married but Frank had been overseas for most of it and despite regular contact - daily when he had access to email - he knew Matt wouldn't buy tacky red and yellow sneakers like that.

Matt had never cared about name brand sneakers but those were expensive - and flashy - when did Matt care about _flash_? When did he walk away from an argument - when did he have a Tom _fucking_ Ford suit?

He didn't think much past searching the closets and drawers and spreading the clothes across the bed and open dresser drawers but when he spotted the old boxing trunk - his fingers itched to get it open.

"Got you some of those pancakes from Lou's!" Matt called from the other room, Maxie's claws scrabbling across the floor a moment before the door closed loudly.

Frank looked around the ransacked bedroom and wondered suddenly how he was going to explain this. Maxie stopped beside him and barked as if she wanted to know, too. "Um. Give me a second, babe."

Matt appeared in the doorway in those fucking *shoes* but Frank was too distracted by the missing bruise on his face.  "Did you call me 'babe'?"

"What - " Frank started.

Matt didn't answer his non-question, tilting his head as he mapped the room. "Okay, this is new. Is this new?"

"Your face, Matt, what - " Frank needed the distraction.

"Buddy fixed it for me," Matt replied blankly. "Did I miss something?"

"Your shoes," Frank said. "They threw me - when did you start showing out with 300 dollar sneakers?"

Matt paused and raised both hands slowly to his side in a 'stand down' gesture that Frank probably deserved just for the mess. "I get that you're trying to pick a fight with me, I get it. But can you please go in the other room and give me a few minutes to warm up for it?"

He inhaled deeply and remembered the flinch earlier before Matt closed the door on him. Matt didn't want to fight. Why did Frank want to fight?

"I'm sorry. I - God, it looks like I threw a tantrum," Frank said.

"As long as you didn't piss in the corners, you'll be off the hook if you go in the kitchen right now," Matt said in a tight voice. "Turn on the TV, play with the phone, I don't care, just, give me ten more minutes and we can have a nice breakfast together."

Frank took Maxie with him but stopped just outside of the doorway. "You don't have to clean up my mess - "

"I am still OCD as fuck, Frank, don't misinterpret what's happening right now," Matt warned darkly.

Shit. Max hopped on the couch to nap and Frank ignored the inviting smell of the breakfast to look around in the daylight. The apartment hadn't changed much at first glance. A new afghan was spread across the back of the couch but looking at the frayed edges, could it be considered new?

The pictures weren't on the walls before either - the full bookshelf was gone and a spread of photographs were tightly grouped to span the wall. Their wedding Polaroid - graduations - printed posts off Instagram of Frank and his platoon - even the dead guys Matt would never meet were in some of the frames if Frank was present - but he forced his eyes to the ones with Matt. Matt and Jessica, some with Foggy, Maria and the kids at the beach and then a photo of Matt and a group of guys at a different beach -

"I didn't know you went to the beach," Frank said, stuck on that one. He didn't know the short blond guy with the tattoos or the huge black guy without hair.

"I hate the beach. How do you know?" Matt called back after a beat.

"Pictures," Frank said.

"Huh. Foggy and Karen did that shit, I have no idea what's in there but they promised nothing would traumatize the kids."

Of course Matt wouldn't know about the pictures. "Did you go with Maria and - "

"I'm not sure what wavelength you're operating on these days, Frank, but your sister would spontaneously combust before she invited me anywhere outside of the city - she thinks I'll walk into traffic to spite her. I lost a bet and Danny and Luke made me go to New England to the Jaws beach," Matt said, his voice closer to the door.

"You didn't tell me that."

"It was years ago, and yeah I did," Matt said. "You always replied to my emails even if you didn't read them."

Would he forget that? "I always read your emails."

Matt finally came out of the room in different clothes and socks without the stupid shoes. "Breakfast."

"I'm sorry, Matt - "

He took Frank's hands with a sigh. "Look. I thought I'd have time to prepare and get everything ready - a house, maybe, a yard for that fucking dog, a truce with your fucking sister but I didn't have that time. I didn't even have time to take care of my face before you saw it so - let's start over. We'll have breakfast and then you can check your closet space - "

"It's not about closet space," Frank cut him off.

"Then why did you tear our bedroom apart?" Matt asked, squeezing his hands.

"The shoes. They - you don't wear shoes like that," Frank whispered.

"Those were a gift and they're really comfortable. I did pay for the suit you rubbed your grubby hands all over - "

"It's not about the money or the closet, Matt, it's about - "

Matt pulled his hands away and slid them around his neck, pressing their heads together. "You're probably going to find a lot of differences when you've been here more than 12 hours. I don't keep your beer in the fridge, just wine and there's none of your twangy country shit programmed into the radio."

"Wine?" Frank asked, knowing Matt was being much more adult about the situation than he'd been twenty minutes ago.

"I like wine now. What's something new you like?" Matt asked.

"I like **you**. I'm sorry I - "

"Don't apologize, own it. You got jealous of my cool shoes."

"I know you would never put my sister in danger," Frank added. "And those shoes are fugly."

Matt kissed him gently. "I'm going to wear them every day."

**Author's Note:**

> Title and lyric tag belong to Fall Out Boy.


End file.
